Tuesday, January 8, 2013

While some Montgomery parents have been worried that their elementary-aged children aren’t receiving the math acceleration they need in the new Curriculum 2.0, the county school system revealed Tuesday that, under the curriculum, all students should ready for higher-level math, sooner.The goal is to get all students to Algebra 1 by eighth grade, which would allow them to begin taking college-level courses, such as AP calculus, by senior year.“Algebra 1 by grade 8” is already one of the school system’s “Seven Keys to College Readiness,” but it is not the designated course path for all students.The current math pathway allows students to be accelerated through courses to achieve this, but in 2012 only about 70 percent of eighth-graders took algebra 1, according to school system data.The goal is “lofty,” according to Linda Sheffield, a professor emerita from Northern Kentucky University and curriculum expert who the board invited to speak at their meeting on Tuesday.“I would think that it is a nice long-term goal,” Sheffield said.Sheffield said most colleges do not expect to see calculus on a high school transcript.The school system data also showed that as the school system has pushed more students into algebra 1 before high school in the last few years, more students failed the course.

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Principles

Formed in 2002, the Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland seeks to achieve the goals of coherent, content-rich curriculum standards; high expectations combined with timely remediation and acceleration; a wider range of educational options for parents and children; greater transparency and accountability; and meaningful community input.

E-mail: parentscoalitionmc AT outlook.com

What the Gazette said about the Parents' Coalition

It has taken a watchdog outside group, the Parents’ Coalition of Montgomery County, to ferret out this waste. The coalition, driven by its sharp curiosity, frequently uses the Maryland Public Information Act to request public records and keep track of district decisions and spending.

We commend the coalition for its important work on this front. It is saving county residents money as inappropriate spending has been uncovered.

What The Washington Post said about the Parents' Coalition

The coalition might be the best-known parent advocacy group in the region. Its members represent several constituencies, including parents of special education and gifted education students and fiscal watchdogs. The group's defining victory came this school year when the school system scaled back the fees charged to families for course materials.

Coalition leaders have drawn attention to the misuse of funds collected from students for activities, the broadcast of a commercial radio service on school buses and, with their "Weast Watch" blog, the travel habits of Weast and his lieutenants.

MD Open Meetings Act Compliance Board staff says

Jerry Weast on the Parents' Coalition

"Along the way, you’ve had a challenging relationship with the Parents’ Coalition, the network of citizen activists who use the political process and other means to hold MCPS accountable.

The thing people accuse me of is listening, but not hearing. I hear, but I do not always agree. I am sorry that the world is faster than it was 10 years ago. I did not do that. [But] if we do not keep up, then our kids will be behind. We have to stop whining and get real."